Western Front and Testament of Youth Essay Example

Western Front and Testament of Youth Paper World War One is well-known for the horrific amount of men who died in it, many of whom did not fully believe in or understand the causes they fought for. War literature presents the modern reader with peoples experiences from the period. Their views are integral in shaping our own opinions on war. Although war literature often differs in its composition, many themes are concurrent throughout the genre. All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque and Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain, both portray the theme of futility of war. They are both drastically different in their portrayal, one an account from a German soldier and the other, an autobiography by a British woman; the ideas that they present on how war is futile presents a human wide consciousness of its futility and begs the readers to question the human nature of declaring and fighting war. The First World War was dubbed the war to end all wars but it did not end all wars as the name might suggest, rather it simply set the pattern for new and even more mechanised killing. Remarque thoroughly explores the impersonality of killing and the idea of a mechanised war in All Quiet on the Western Front. We will write a custom essay sample on Western Front and Testament of Youth specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Western Front and Testament of Youth specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Western Front and Testament of Youth specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer One way in which he presents this idea is through a very matter of fact approach to fighting and injury such as: Kat and Kropp even make another sortie during the afternoon. In the process Kropp gets an earlobe shot off. Vera Brittain also uses a matter of fact approach in her writing rather than romanticising the injuries she witnessed. It is likely that Remarques own experiences in the war heavily contributed to this novel; several of his other novels also dealt with the atrocities of the war and its aftermath. Injured by British shell-splinters at Passchendaele, Remarque witnessed first hand the brutality of war and hence this is a key theme throughout the novel. By presenting how brutal war was, he helps to destroy the false fai ade of the glory and honour of war and in a sense demonises the way in which it destroys the livelihoods of soldiers on the front and civilians back home. As a result, after the Nazis came to power, All Quiet on the Western Front was subject to their book burning. Vera Brittain also destroys the false faade of the glory and honour of war after she learns of the death of her fianci Roland. The loss of honour and glory is symbolised by Rolands returned kit. Notably, his badge, which would represent his honour and that of the army, was thickly coated in mud. He must have fallen on top of it, or perhaps one of the people who fetched him in trampled on it. This suggests that the honour that the badge represents has been soiled by the war, the badge now symbolises the horror of war without its glory. This is also ambivalent in the sense that she suggests he may have fallen on top of it, rather than just presenting how the war is no longer honourable it also suggests that there was no glory in his death and that his death and that death and destruction is what the war truly symbolises. Vera Brittain has altered the clichi of falling on ones sword to illustrate how the soldiers did not die traditional heroic deaths, but like her own fianci died for no military benefit. In addition, her reference of the returned kit as relics suggests that this is all that is left of her fianci  after the death and decay of the war. It represents her attitude towards the war, the return of the kit causes her realisation of all that France meant, that France meant death and destruction for both sides. It is however ambiguous as there is a level of conceit in all that France meant. She surprisingly compares France, which is often seen as cultural and beautiful, to death and destruction perhaps highlighting the idea that civilisation leans itself to war and that after this war is at end it will not be long until the next begins. This is a clever if not relatively elaborate way to express her view on the futility of war, that no matter what they say this war will not end all wars, it is a futile loss of life. Killing removes all honour and glory from both country and men and there shall be no benefit to either side on victory or loss because both ironically mean death. The frankness in which she portrays these ideas is of high importance, but it also unnerved many of the original reviewers. James Agate wrote that it reminded him of a woman crying in the street. One can see how he may have formed his opinion and it illustrates Brittains dramatic responses to the events yet I find him a little unjust in his criticism. Testament of Youth was the real book of the women of England1 and presents the strife of women during World War One. Virginia Woolf expressed the more widespread response, she mocked the story of how she lost her lover and the other clichi s of war literature, she admitted that much about the book had interested her and in turn had left its mark on her own novel The Years that had been influenced by Brittains connection between feminism and pacifism2. Remarque expresses the theme of brutality of war through his clever use of irony, such as in the first chapter. On the opening page of the first chapter, the protagonist narrates: We havent had a stroke of luck like this for ages. The men feel lucky for receiving a double ration yet this is due to the fact they lost a large amount of men because the English guns kept on pounding [their] position. This is both an example of verbal and structured irony, which is used extensively throughout the novel. It is first perceived that the double rations are what are lucky, but the death of half the platoon provides the luck. It is structured irony also, because the remainder of the platoon know they are lucky in receiving the extra rations due to the death of half of their platoon, yet they do not understand its significance. They have been immune to the concept of death to survive. The reader however is presented with mass carnage and the idea of other humans revelling in this stroke of luck. This depicts how the men have been dehumanised by the war; they revel in the death of their own kin because it helps to save their own lives. This irony is key in presenting Remarques view on how the war is futile. Imagery is another integral part in Remarques development of the theme of brutality of war and so how he presents war as being futile. Paul narrates, Its as if it is not the guns that are roaring; its as if the very earth is raging. The war has become so brutal and the killing so impersonal that it is no longer as if there are two sides fighting each other but more as if the earth is fighting humanity. Remarque is also careful to make sure the use of the word enemy is rare and instead Bi umer refers to the others, or to those over there. Vera Brittain is also hesitant to use the word enemy, instead stating that the men had been ordered to fire against the advancing Germans. This reinforces the idea that the earth is fighting humanity. Both sides are experiencing terrible losses and appalling conditions. Vera Brittain describes how she saw the hand of a man whod been killed only that morning beginning to turn green and yellow which demonstrates her use of imagery to graphically illustrate the horrors of war. The idea that both writers from opposing nations record the same details suggests that death itself is the enemy. If death itself is the enemy rather than the opposing side, the very fact that they are fighting is futile. There are no gains to either side, apart from the gain in numbers of death and casualties. Remarque also focuses heavily on the dehumanisation process of front-line soldiers, and remarks upon how all conventions of society lose their place in war in place of pure human instinct for survival. One such scene that demonstrates this is when Bi umer, Kropp and Mi ller use the latrines, they: pull three if them together in a circle and make [themselves] comfortable. It is quite a peculiar image of three men making themselves comfortable whilst in each others company using the latrines. It could be argued to be satirical, ridiculing how society acts in demonising and hiding natural parts of human life. However, I am inclined to believe that Remarque is hinting at how the soldiers have been dehumanised. Due to the loss of their social upbringing they will find it difficult to integrate back into society should they survive the war. This suggests that Remarque views the war as futile because even should the men survive they will not be in a position to live how they used to and in a sense have perished. Brian Murdoch, the translator and author of the afterword suggests that the novel presents the war without heroism but through terror and the loss of human dignity and values. This reinforces the idea that the dehumanisation of the soldiers is important in presenting the theme of futility of war. Whereas Remarque focuses heavily on the dehumanisation of men during the war, Vera Brittain concentrates profoundly upon the effects the war had at home through the themes of feminism and a prevailing sense of pacifism. Despite this, both Remarque and Vera Brittain focus on the effects on society by the war. Vera Brittain grew up in provincial comfort in the north of England, into a family that did not want her to follow her academic aspirations and so her experiences prior to the war evidently contribute to her feminist and pacifist ideology. She links her ideas of feminism to pacifism. Her aspirations to gain an education and then to work towards the war effort she had to confront her own susceptibility as a younger woman to the glamour of war. It became apparent that Brittain was ready to reject anything that identified war with grey crossed, and supreme sacrifices, and red poppies blowing against a serene blue sky. Both Testament of Youth and All Quiet on the Western Front, focus heavily on the theme of futility of war and as suggested by other critical appreciations of the texts, the focus on the novels concentrates heavily on illustration war without glory, without heroism. They both present death as the real enemy within war. Brittain focuses on the dismantling of the  ade of an honourable and glorious war, and invokes her feminist and pacifist ideology (much of what she forms after her experiences of the war) to demonstrate this. Whilst Remarque also illustrates how war is not glorious, his use of imagery and irony help to form images of how brutal war was and how it affected the lives of the young soldiers fighting in it. The theme of brutality of war, and the dismantling of the fai ade both present Brittains and Remarques views on the futility of war. 1 The Writers War, Oliver Edwards, The Times, 19th November 1964 2 Introduction of Testament of Youth by Mark Bostridge, February 2004

Meeting at Night and Parting at Morning Commentary Essay Essays

Meeting at Night and Parting at Morning Commentary Essay Essays Meeting at Night and Parting at Morning Commentary Essay Essay Meeting at Night and Parting at Morning Commentary Essay Essay In the two verse forms. â€Å"Meeting at Night† and â€Å"Parting at Morning† . Robert Browning tells about the meeting of two lovers at dark who are in love with each other. In order to run into the adult female. the adult male undergoes a long journey through the sea and land. However. even after all this problem. he must be close because they are non allowed to see each other. The 2nd verse form. nevertheless. Tells of the very following twenty-four hours. when the adult male leaves the adult female and seems to travel on. Browning constructions these two verse forms in order to give the reader a better apprehension of the significance of the verse form. At the beginning of the verse form. the adult male apparently recounts his journey. briefly depicting his milieus as he passes them. observing any possible significance they may hold to him. Browning incorporates initial rhyme at the terminal of each line in this verse form. as he passed through â€Å"the long black land† and saw the Moon â€Å"large and low. † making the image of the environment which the adult male passes through. The usage of the word â€Å"long† describes his drawn-out trip on land. while the Moon lying â€Å"large and low† in the sky Tells of the clip of his travel. the Moon is low because he is going tardily into the dark. Browning employs the resulting initial rhyme serves the intent of depicting the journey through the senses. The â€Å"pushing prow† of his motion and â€Å"the slushy sand. † which absorbed each measure describes the intent the adult male walked with as he walked across the â€Å"sea-scented beach. † Browning is able to paint the man’s expedition through these initial rhymes. An interesting note of construction I found in this verse form is that each stanza could be read from the last line up to the in-between line ( as opposed to the regular manner of reading ) . By making so. the reader can understand the verse form better as the adult male reaches his ultimate finish of love in the centre of each verse form. In the first stanza. the adult female is described with a synecdoche through her hair as â€Å"fiery coils from their sleep† and â€Å"startled small moving ridges that spring. † This could intend that her hair was her most defining characteristic. harmonizing to her lover ( the adult male ) . In the 2nd stanza. the adult female is described as a â€Å"voice less loud† and a â€Å"quick crisp scratch† coming from within the house. This can be inferred through Browning’s usage of soft. feminine words. The usage of the words â€Å"less loud† could perchance touch to the fact that the two lovers are non allowed to see each other. doing this meeting a secret 1. The â€Å"quick crisp scratch† resembles that of a little. spyhole in the door which the adult female looks through in order to guarantee the individuality of the adult male. When reading â€Å"Meeting at Night† the reader must besides see the verse form â€Å"Parting at Morning† as they relate to one another. Although they can both be read individually. reading them together leaves the reader with a different apprehension. as â€Å"Parting at Morning† provides a different stoping. a different declaration to the two lover’s secret meeting. The usage of anaphora in this short. one stanza verse form indicates exhilaration in the adult male as he looks on to â€Å"a way of gold† taking to â€Å"a universe of men† as â€Å"the Sun looked over the mountain’s rim. This could bespeak that the adult male was traveling frontward from his clip with the adult female and looking frontward to puting sail onto lands unknown. with the promise of gold. This is due to the fact that it was general sailor’s belief that adult females were bad fortune on ships. and therefore was by and large unwelcome. The words â€Å"cape. † â€Å"sea. † and â€Å"strait† evoke images of the sea. as they are all organic structures of H2O. and hence allude to the adult male being a crewman ( which wasn’t as specified in â€Å"Meeting at Night† ) .

McKenzie Corporation Capital Budgeting Coursework

McKenzie Corporation Capital Budgeting - Coursework Example In case there is no expansion, the value of bonds will remain unchanged since it replicates the status of the bond holders which, as well remains unchanged. Provided the expansion of the company occurs, the presence of net value created by expansion (0.2 million), will boost equity leading to decrease in the debt to equity ratio. Intuitively, the company will also be experiencing reduction of the rate of return associated with its bonds. Decrease in the debt to equity ratio and rate of return will trigger increase in value of bonds and their price (Graham et al, 2010). Further, from the calculations above one can also deduce what will happen to the company in case it does not expand; especially, the effects on future borrowing: Without expansion, the equity will remain the same as it is presently. In which case, the expiry of debt convenant next year implies that the company will not have greater equity needed to get financing (borrowing) to be used for expansion. With expansion, the company secures enough equity to finance its expansion, as shown in 0.2 million net value creation. This will trigger more equity next year, thanks to the expansion. Naturally, this places the company in a position where it is able to access more financing required for borrowing needs in the future. The use of cash, rather than equity, in financing the expansion would have made it more productive and efficient because it relieves the company of the costs which may have been spent in changing equity into cash. The use of cash also means that the company would then avoid the time consuming procedure (changing equity to cash) (Graham et al, 2010). Consequently, the expansion would even look better when using cash than when using

Information Security Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10500 words

Information Security Master - Essay Example IT security policies in the private sector are also reviewed. In part II (3.0 -- 3.7) we shall focus attention on plans and efforts to implement the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) by the computer security division of NIST. NIST has created what it describes as the "FISMA Implementation Project" which NIST has broken down into three phases. Phase I discusses security standards and Guidelines, Phase II delves into organizational accreditation program while phase III is called the Security Tool Validation Program. We review too Department of Defense (DoD) security certification and accreditation (DITSCAP) program. We take a look too at funding sources for implementing FISMA and how the private sectors are reacting to FISMA. Part III of this thesis (4.0 - 5.0) takes a deep look at the impact of FISMA in federal government agencies and departments and compliance efforts. We examine a few case studies and then move on to look at the private sector compliance initiatives, including software produced by the private sector software industry to help government agencies and departments achieve compliance easily We link how the various policies, circulars and presidential executive orders shaped management of information and information systems in the federal government. Our methodology is to link how the various policies, circulars and presidential executive orders shaped management of information and information systems in the federal government. We analyze the US Government Accounting Office (GAO, 2006) report and the House 'FISMA Report Card' (Federal Computer Security Grades: 2001 -2005) In the Thesis conclusion we show that FISMA has infact reduced the risk, albeit slowly, to information security in Federal

Global Communications Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Global Communications Worksheet Essay Transcribe the following welcome message for the employees from each country: I wanted to welcome you ASAP to our little family here in the States. It’s high time we shook hands in person and not just across the sea. I’m pleased as punch about getting to know you all, and I for one will do my level best to sell you on America. Complete the table below with your transcribed welcome messages. Also indicate whether each of the countries are more individualistic or relationship focused. Country Transcribe Welcome Message Brazil We wanted to welcome you to our family here in the States and thought it high time we shook hands in person and I am excited to get to know all of you and will do my best to sell you on America. Brazil’s culture is generally group-oriented and asserting individual preferences may be viewed as less important than conforming to a groups norms. Building lasting and trusting personal relationships is therefore critically important with Brazilians who generally wish to close any deals with someone with whom they have a strong bond. Russia I want to welcome you as quickly as possible to our little family here in the States. I think it is high time we met in person and not continue business across the sea. I look forward to getting to know all of you, and I will do my best to sell you on America. Those within the Russian culture have long been dominated by like the tsars and the Communist Party leaders. Because of this, many Russians do not have individual freedom and maintain a collectivist set of values. India I wanted to welcome you to our family here in the States and thought it was the right time to shake hands in person rather than do business across the sea. I look forward to getting to know you, and allowing you the opportunity to know us as well, and will do my best at selling you on America. Indian society is that of the collectivism view and it promotes social cohesion as well as interdependence. China I wanted to take a moment and welcome you as part of our family here in the States. I think the time for us to meet and shake hands in person has been long overdue. I look forward to getting to know one another and will do my best at selling you on America. In China, there is a collectivist approach in where the upholding of a stable and â€Å"in-sync† harmonious society is is seen to be the most important part of ethics.

The Death March Essay -- War, World War II

Plan of Investigation A tactic used in past wars, and also categorized as a war crime, is known as the death march. These marches have often been criticized for being inhumane, and forcing enemy soldiers into â€Å"conditions primitive and unsanitary.† (51 Allen) Both of the death marches studied in this historical investigation occurred in World War II. The first is the Bataan Death March, inflicted upon Americans and Filipinos by the Japanese. The second case studied will be the forced movement of â€Å"undesirables† (i.e. Jews, Homosexuals, blacks, gypsies, etc.) in the numerous Nazi death marches. How and why did the reasons and strategies for the Bataan Death March compare with those of the Nazi death marches? Both cases will be summarized and then analyzed. The justification for these marches will therefore lead to deciphering the extent that these marches helped the instigating countries, and what war would have been like without them. Primary sources, such as â€Å"Aband oned on Bataan,† along with secondary sources such as â€Å"Double Victory† will be utilized to fully comprehend the differences of the two marches. Summary of Evidence 1) Bataan Death March When General MacArthur of the United States surrendered, the Japanese were not prepared for the immense number of US and Filipino prisoners. Their justification for their war crimes comes from their culture. The Japanese were instilled with the idea of fight or death. Surrendering was not an option to the Japanese, because it made one scum, and not even human. In the Japanese perspective, the American soldiers that surrendered had intentionally put themselves in this position. The Japanese did what they were taught; their cultural traditions allowed for the violence an... ...ese Lines in World War II. New York: NAL Caliber, 2009. Print. Allen, Oliver Craig, and Mildred Faye Allen. Abandoned on Bataan: One Man's Story of Survival. Boerne, TX: Crimson Horse Entertainment and Pub., 2002. Print. "American Experience . MacArthur . The Siege of Bataan | PBS." Interview by Edwin Ramsey, Richard Gordon, and Leon Beck. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. 2009. Web. . Holocaust Encyclopedia. "Death Marches." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 06 Jan. 2011. Web. . Nelson, Jim. "The Causes of the Bataan Death March Revisited." 11 May 2007. Web. . Smurthwaite, David. The Pacific War Atlas 1941-1945. New York: HMSO, 1995. Print.

Tok – Art as an Area of Knowledge

TOK Assignment Art can be of speckled forms, ranging from instillations to painting to music to dance. Each of these practices of art have diverse impacts on society. However today irrational exuberance of the contemporary art market is about the breeding of money and have lost the fertility of art. I really believe that art is what humans created as a highest explanation level to fully clarify the perspectives and especially emotions of human beings. Art does not have any specific meaning, there are so many varied elements in an art work that a myriad of viewers can appreciate as well as criticize.I have always believed that after an artist finishes a painting or a dancer finishes a show, their dedication, commitment and meaning for those forms of art becomes highly negligible. It is how the audience reciprocates to it, and perceives it is what is important. Interpreting art allows us to interpret the psychological complexity within a person, their reactions to forms of art their em otions and perceptions towards it makes it easier to analyze their characters. For instance at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival, this instillation highly struck me.The color is what created the main impact. Black placed ahead of golden, the first thing than came to my mind was how is today’s world it is always the evil that has taken over the good. Since I’ve always perceived black to be evil, and golden/yellow being the good or the brighter color showing the brighter side of life. It also showed me how the good always follows the bad, and in reality especially in today’s fast growing generation this is how the world has started functioning. This gives a very negative outlook about life, and thus I personally did not like this concept much.First look, it appears to be neat and nice but gradually upon analyzing it I did not like the concept at all. Art is more than just self-expression and communication. It is a type of language, understanding and emotional outlook of an individual. If we go to see, art is everywhere. The world revolves around the different forms of art, every part of the world has its own unique art forms. This has been passes on from our ancestors, therefore it does shape our society till an extent. There have been instances when society has revolted against certain art forms, leading to a high controversy.This is highly debatable as every individual has their own rights, however cultural beliefs and society pressures leads to them compromising on those rights. Some countries have always portrayed women in the artworks, showing the gender discrimination. However due to this, the society’s opinion towards women has changed drastically. If they change this, and suddenly only men are seen all over the artworks be in instillations or painting or sketches, it will shape the growing generation’s mindset in a different manner.Taking art in the form of music or maybe dance, definitely affects and reflects emotion. It is that form of art which can be taken and the musician’s or dancer’s knowledge can be extracted through it. At the Kala Ghoda Festival the live performance was completely breath taking. It appealed to the audience and was able to reach their senses. That also brought out the Indian ethnicity with it. Those beats were brilliant and I personally was very appealed by that performance. Performing arts is another very broad medium of art, allowing varied amounts of portrayals.It is where language and reasoning can be effectively demonstrated with the help of language certain times. Thus to conclude, art is very broad comprising of different forms which all ass to a different meaning. However, its interpretation can differ from the person’s culture to their mood to their personal values. It acts as an opportunity for the growing kids to find out their strengths and gives them an opportunity to explore various fields. Their skill in different forms of art is also very vi tal in gaining knowledge about them as a person.